DISPATCH 6/20/08: Natural, Biotech, Asthmatic, Clustered, Immune

The massive outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 in spinach and lettuce in 2006 caused several deaths and hundreds of illnesses and devastated the produce industry. Since then, the FDA has been under increasing pressure to approve the petition -- submitted in 1999 -- to allow irradiation of ready-to-eat food. Irradiation technology could be used to ensure microbiological safety of fresh produce.

Our job here is ranking risks, and here's a little exercise in doing so:
(1) A Real Risk:
Marilyn Larkin provides a balanced New York Academy of Sciences overview of foodborne illnesses: "Health Threats from Domestic and Imported Produce."
(2) A Small But Discussion-Worthy Risk:

This piece appeared on NationalPost.com.

Once again, we’re told, the pharmaceutical industry is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Americans. This time the deceit is ghost writing, the practice by which someone other than the named author writes a clinical trial or scientific review article. The purported scandal is that ghost writing activities are supported financially by industry. As an April 15 Washington Post headline proclaimed, "Key Vioxx Research Was Written by Merck, Documents Allege."

DISPATCH 6/13/08: Scary Curtains, Diarrhea, Expired Medicine, Floods, and Fat

Many college freshman students are living on their own for the first time. Students not living at home are now buying groceries, making meals, or living off the school meal plan and are completely in charge of their diet. When one considers this newfound freedom (Cake for breakfast? Why not?) combined with the stress of studying and less time for sports, it's easy to see how the weight can sneak on.

Although Internet drug purchasing is known to be a dicey proposition, the extent of the risk has never been established. A new report by the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicine (EAASM), the results of which were released last week at the 4th Global Forum on Pharmaceutical Anticounterfeting, suggests the problem may be worse than regulatory agencies heretofore anticipated.

DISPATCH: Hunger, Mercury, Alcohol, Smoke, and Toenails
Norman Borlaug's op-ed on the fight against hunger

As the candidates release their medical records, some questions will naturally arise. Senator McCain's report card is no surprise but Senator Obama has a lot more insecurity: He is young, active and looks great but has a documented history as a cigarette smoker. His campaign is claiming he quit, and that should be taken with a grain of salt, but what if he is a former smoker? Did his risks disappear?
Politico came to ACSH to provide insight into what his future might hold.